Posted on 06/04/2017 12:29:15 PM PDT by ealgeone
Question: "Why is sola fide important?"
Answer: Sola fide which means "faith alone" is important because it is one of the distinguishing characteristics or key points that separate the true biblical Gospel from false gospels. At stake is the very Gospel itself and it is therefore a matter of eternal life or death. Getting the Gospel right is of such importance that the Apostle Paul would write in Galatians 1:9, “As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” Paul was addressing the same question that sola fide addresses—on what basis is man declared by God to be justified? Is it by faith alone or by faith combined with works? Paul makes it clear in Galatians and Romans that man is “justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law” (Galatians 2:16), and the rest of the Bible concurs.
Sola fide is one of the five solas that came to define and summarize the key issues of the Protestant Reformation. Each of these Latin phrases represents a key area of doctrine that was an issue of contention between the Reformers and the Roman Catholic Church, and today they still serve to summarize key doctrines essential to the Gospel and to Christian life and practice. The Latin word sola means “alone” or “only” and the essential Christian doctrines represented by these five Latin phrases accurately summarize the biblical teaching on these crucial subjects: sola scriptura—Scripture alone, sola fide—faith alone, sola gratia—grace alone, sola Christus—Christ alone, and sola Deo gloria—for the glory of God alone. Each one is vitally important, and they are all closely tied together. Deviation from one will lead to error in another essential doctrine, and the result will almost always be a false gospel which is powerless to save.
Sola fide or faith alone is a key point of difference between not only Protestants and Catholics but between biblical Christianity and almost all other religions and teachings. The teaching that we are declared righteous by God (justified) on the basis of our faith alone and not by works is a key doctrine of the Bible and a line that divides most cults from biblical Christianity. While most religions and cults teach men what works they must do to be saved, the Bible teaches that we are not saved by works, but by God’s grace through His gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Biblical Christianity is distinct from every other religion in that it is centered on what God has accomplished through Christ’s finished work, while all other religions are based on human achievement. If we abandon the doctrine of justification by faith, we abandon the only way of salvation. “Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness" (Romans 4:4-5). The Bible teaches that those that trust Jesus Christ for justification by faith alone are imputed with His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21), while those who try to establish their own righteousness or mix faith with works will receive the punishment due to all who fall short of God’s perfect standard.
Sola fide—the doctrine of justification by faith alone apart from works—is simply recognizing what is taught over and over in Scripture—that at some point in time God declares ungodly sinners righteous by imputing Christ’s righteousness to them (Romans 4:5, 5:8, 5:19). This happens apart from any works and before the individual actually begins to become righteous. This is an important distinction between Catholic theology that teaches righteous works are meritorious towards salvation and Protestant theology that affirms the biblical teaching that righteous works are the result and evidence of a born-again person who has been justified by God and regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit.
How important is sola fide? It is so important to the Gospel message and a biblical understanding of salvation that Martin Luther described it as being “the article with and by which the church stands.” Those who reject sola fide reject the only Gospel that can save them and by necessity embrace a false gospel. That is why Paul so adamantly denounces those who taught law-keeping or other works of righteousness in Galatians 1:9 and other passages. Yet today this important biblical doctrine is once again under attack. Too often sola fide is relegated to secondary importance instead of being recognized as an essential doctrine of Christianity, which it certainly is.
“Consider Abraham: ‘He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.’ Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Galatians 3:6-11).
One can have issues with that stubborn streak of sin, and yet again, it gets back to what I posted earlier about the conscience.
So, yes, maybe the person has not repented of that one specific sin, YET, but still that one sin is not going to keep that person out of heaven if they have been saved.
Some people have issues with sin that everyone else sees but them. Often it's a matter of God Himself having to deal with the sin and delivering the person from it.
That is particularly true for people who are in sins of addiction. Tough to beat through sheer will power alone.
And yet, even if the person hasn't repented of something, maybe cause they don't even see it in themselves yet, they are still saved.
God sets the standards high and yet He remembers our frame, that we are dust.
You know what makes sins worse and harder to stop? Obsessing over it.
The more we try to overcome ourselves, the worse the struggle is.
I suppose ultimately, the issue isn't whether someone sins habitually, but what is their response to it, even if it's not repentance, yet.
Psalm 103:8-14 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
I know.
I am familiar with the verses Calvinists use to support election.
That’s why so many come down on both sides of the issue.
But the Bride is not the wedding guest.
Then who are the wedding guests?
Those who were invited and accepted the offer and wore the wedding garments provided, I suppose.
Rule doesn’t apply just to you. I routinely post references to cited material as do others.
First, thank you for a clear and thoughtful answer. Yes, habitual sin can be overpowering and difficult to break but I was speaking of sin that is deliberate and willful; perhaps what you would call a lifestyle of sin. That is why I used the example of adultery.
If you are to understand the Catholic position on sin then you should know that we do not believe that every sin breaks our relationship with God and thus loose our salvation. It is only those sins that are of a grave matter, done with sufficient reflection that we know of its gravity, and also full consent of the will; thus what we freely choose to do despite having judged it to be a serious offense against the will of God. This is what we call mortal sin. Even these sins will be forgiven if we repent, are filled with sorrow, and have a firm purpose of avoiding them. But what if he were obstinate in refusing to do so?
I am guessing that you would say that such a person does not have true saving faith. But I have heard some Protestants say that even such a person would be saved. Then there are others who avoid giving a clear answer.
Two replies early...
Without the faith; would these men have done anything?
MY group of angelic dancers have been warming up in the wings.
They eagerly await THEIR introduction to perform for the audience.
I believe Mormonism is a false religion. Things written by Mormons have NO staying power in MY brain. 😀 Am I being, shall we say, a bit judgemental? 😱
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Seems you were predestined to comment on that post. ;-)
LOL. Yep, it's a losing proposition. 😀
Do you have a specific person in mind? Because this line of questioning seems like a stretch to me.
But in the case you have laid out, persistent, deliberate sin that remains unrepented of sears the conscience. It deadens the ability to listen to the promises of God. The kind of sin you are describing WOULD lead someone to lose their salvation, but not because the sin was SO BAD that it overrides faith, but rather because faith is lost.
(An aside: That’s why, at least we Lutherans encourage confession so strongly. It’s not like it’s a Sacrament like with Catholics, but because we know how dangerous sinfulness is, and the power of hearing about God’s forgiveness of those sins.)
I don’t know the heart of anyone, however. God does. Asking me to judge someone’s innermost heart is asking me to tell you things that only God knows. For all you know, that person is repenting of that sin even as they commit it.
There’s your answer; is that satisfactory?
(There are ways that our church bodies deal with public and outwardly unrepentant sin, ie, excommunication, but that falls outside the scope of your question. You asked about hypothetical salvation, not what we the faithful should do when confronted with such a case.)
Maybe the magic underwear will save them. 😃
I just KNEW you were gonna say that!
You are correct MM. When I was a Catholic, way back in the last century, I must have committed 200 mortal sins a day, and never even had the smallest twinge of conscience. I sinned wantonly. Now that I am no longer a Catholic, and have saving faith, when I sin, I hate it, and it frustrates me. The old man still wars against the new man.
**If Jesus meant baptism, why didn’t He use the word and instead couch it in vague terms?**
The same can be said for those choosing to declare “water” to be the same as “flesh”.
**And it makes no sense for Him to switch in the middle of a conversation about physical birth to talking about baptism and then switching back to physical birth and not even mention it. The word *Baptism* was in use then and Jesus Himself had been baptized. He knew what it was and could have used the word for it. He didn’t.**
It makes even less sense to compare water with natural birth since there is no other witness in the scriptures to confirm that theory.
There are several scriptural accounts that tie water to baptism.
Also, Nicodemas brought up natural birth, wondering how a MAN could enter his mother’s womb again (he understood that Jesus talking about already naturally born needing to be born again,....but how).
Intellectual assent is what Satan and his angels have, but they are not saved. They are toast. They know about Jesus, but it doesn't do anything for them. I believe Satan would prefer everyone on earth, give Jesus intellectual assent, without saving faith.
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